Verizon

Verizon disclosed it expects to record a severance charge of between $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion in the third quarter, the result of a previously announced voluntary separation programme for employees.

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg described fixed line player Frontier Communications as a good strategic fit as the US operator confirmed a deal to acquire the company for $20 billion in an all-cash transaction.

Bloomberg reported Verizon was in advanced discussions to buy Frontier Communications in an all-cash deal which could be announced today (5 September) and would substantially increase its fibre footprint.

Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week as Huawei posted increased revenue and net profit in H1, Verizon forged a D2D messaging deal with Skylo and HMD released its Barbie handset.

Verizon hedged its satellite bets by striking a direct-to-device (D2D) deal with Skylo Technologies to launch an emergency messaging and location-sharing service over the coming months for select Google Pixel and Samsung phones.

Wearable technology company Ultrahuman expanded availability of a smart ring in the US through a deal with Verizon which opens the door to a portion of the operator’s more than 6,000 retail stores.

IoT service price benchmarking by research company IoT Analytics showed Verizon in the US and Telefonica Germany are the cheapest mainstream providers in their respective markets, but found big-name players face stiff competition from MVNOs.